Dust Storm Across Afghanistan and Pakistan

Prolonged and severe drought has taken its toll on the once vital HamounWetlands in southwestern Afghanistan and eastern Iran. Formerly a green oasis for over half a million birds, the wetlands are now a desert tan in these images, acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra and Aqua satellites. According to the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the Helmand River, which feeds the wetlands, had been running up to 98 percent below its annual average during the past six years of drought. Decades of conflict and poor water management have also contributed to the withering of the wetlands. In 2003, the UNEP reported that 99 percent of the wetlands had dried up. The newly exposed silt is easily picked up on the wind, and dust storms frequently sweep through the Sistan Basin where the wetlands were located. Between October 7 and October 9, 2004, MODIS observed one such storm blanketing much of southern Afghanistan and part of Pakistan with a thick cloud of tan dust.
Credit: Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA/GSFC